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UFC 284 was headlined by the highly anticipated clash between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. The fight surpassed the expectations of many who watched the bout, as both men went to war for five rounds.
Makhachev was awarded a unanimous decision victory, and the judges seemed to view his superior control time in the fight as a deciding factor.
In a '10 point must system', judges award 10 points to the fighter they think won the round and a score of either 9, 8 or 7 to their opponent depending on the round's competitiveness.
The lightweight champion took Volkanovski's back several times in the fight, including in the first and fourth rounds. Makhachev racked up a total of 7:37 minutes of control time over five rounds and showcased proficient skills on the feet as he landed powerful blows of his own.
Given the judges' scoring criteria, awarding Islam Makhachev a decision victory could be justified. Judges consider effective grappling and striking to be the most important factors, followed by aggression and octagon control.
The fight statistics for UFC 284's main event were uploaded to Twitter by MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter.
See the tweet below:
Despite Islam Makhachev taking Volkanovski's back for over four minutes during the fight, it is questionable whether or not Makhachev's position was 'effective grappling' given he was more idle than actively looking for a submission.
Some notable figures within the MMA community, including Joe Rogan, felt that Alexander Volkanovski had won the fight as he had landed the more damaging blows. 'The Great' also outlanded Makhachev by 69 total strikes.
Rogan watched UFC 284 live during a Fight Companion on The Joe Rogan Experience.
Watch Rogan's reaction below:
'The Great' landed the most significant punch of the fight with a minute left in Round 5, which dropped Makhachev. He then rained down ground-and-pound strikes until the final bell rang, and the difference in damage absorbed was written on the faces of the two men.
Nate Diaz took to Twitter to declare that Makhachev had lost, along with several other notable fighters such as Marlon 'Chito' Vera.
See the tweets below:
Alexander Volkanovski believes he won UFC 284 main event, calls for rematch
Alexander Volkanovski admitted during his post-fight press conference that he would need to watch the UFC 284 main event before sharing who he thought had won the bout.
Shortly thereafter, 'The Great' took to Twitter and stated that he had won three of the five rounds and is eager for a rematch with Islam Makhachev:
"Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won 2, 3 and 5. Surprised I didn't get my hand raised! Let's do the rematch, anywhere, anytime!"
See the tweet below:
